日本の映画ファンのみなさんにとっておそらく驚きだったのが、この2人のノミネートではないでしょうか? 助演女優賞にノミネートされたメリッサ・マッカーシー(『Bridesmaids』<原題>/上写真右)と、助演男優賞にノミネートされたジョナ・ヒル(『マネーボール』/上写真左)です。アメリカでは驚きでも何でもない選出なのですが、この2人の昨年の活躍には目を見張るものがありました。『Bridesmaids』は昨年最もヒットした映画の一本であるし、観た人に聞けば全員、メリッサがベストパートを演じていたと言うでしょう。彼女は本作に加えて、アメリカの人気コメディ番組「Mike and Molly」にも出演しており、数々の賞を獲得しています。
(原文) Hey readers! Well, by now, you have probably seen a list or maybe heard some of the nominations that came out on Tuesday, Jan. 24 (US Time).I was at the nominations event to do reports on it for WOWOW, and I must say that there were quite a few surprises. One of the biggest surprises (and one of the things that EVERYONE was talking about) was the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio was left out of the Best Actors category. Everyone that that FOR SURE he would be nominated for his extraordinary work in the Clint Eastwood film, "J. Edgar".
Another big surprise was that Glenn Close got the nomination for Best Actress (which I was very happy about!!!). Many people were saying that Tilda Swinton or Charlize Theron would probably be in that slot instead.
And probably the biggest surprise of all was the fact that Martin Scorsese's film "Hugo" was the big winner in the nominations, getting ELEVEN nominations altogether!!! "The Artist", which so far has been the big movie to beat at all the awards ceremonies, received 10 nominations.
There were two nominations that are probably a big surprise to Japanese movie fans...Melissa McCarthy for Best Supporting Actress (for her role in "Bridesmaids")and Jonah Hill for Best Supporting Actor (for his role in "Moneyball") . BUT for those of us here in the U.S., it isn't really that big of a surprise at all. These two comedians/actors have had a tremendous year in 2011. "Bridesmaids" was one of the biggest and best selling movies in 2011, and if you ask ANYONE, Melissa McCarthy was the best part of the film. She also stars in one of the most popular tv shows here in the U.S., "Mike and Molly", and has been winning awards for her starring role in that as well.
Jonah Hill has been a big part of many big films such as "Superbad", and is currently one of the hottest young male comedians/actors in Hollywood. He also lost ALOT of weight, and has recently been jokingly telling the press that he is now ready to take the leading man roles away from George Clooney and Brad Pitt!! None the less, Melissa McCarthy and Jonah Hill are two bright rising stars, so it is no surprise that the Academy has decided to recognize them both with a nomination for their work.
Now some very interesting trends in this year's nominees.... the two films that will probably be battling it out for "Best Picture" are BOTH homages to making movies. "Hugo", which is directed by veteran American director Martin Scorsese, pays homage to French films. And "The Artist", which is directed by a young French director, Michel Hazanavicius, pays tribute to American movies. This year in the "Best Picture" category, there also seems to be a bit of a theme...France/Paris. First of all you have "Hugo" and "The Artist", and you also have Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" and Steven Spielberg's "War Horse", which both take place in France (just part of "War Horse" does).
Another interesting thing about the nominees is that this year BFFs (Best Friends) George Clooney and Brad Pitt are competing against each other for "Best Actor"(In my opinion, George Clooney will win this award). And in Best Actress you have two incredible actresses who are nominated for "Best Actress" for playing historical icons, one a Hollywood icon, and the other an icon in politics.Of course I am talking about Meryl Streep for her role in "The Iron Woman", and Michelle Williams for her role in "My Week with Marilyn". For this category, I have a feeling that Meryl Streep will win. Many people think that Meryl has won many times, but in actuality she has only won TWICE. Even though she has been nominated 17 times!!! And the last time she won an Oscar was in 1983 for her role in "Sophie's Choice".
So readers, have you already started predicting who YOU think will win? I must say that this year it is VERY hard to predict!!!